Dance Off Into Your Happily Ever After
by fantasylands
Summary: A motley, random conglomeration of PatF oneshots. Tiana/Naveen-centric. *** She shivered once more, and looked up at the two evening stars, still glimmering brightly at her. "The last time I made calas was eight years ago."
1. Music

Hello all! :D I have been obsessed with Princess and the Frog for a few years now (yes, a few _years_), and have seen the movie five times and counting since it finally came out, so I figured it was high time I wrote some fanfiction for it! This will be a collection of little vignettes and oneshots, with no specific theme or time frame (though most of them will probably be post-movie). Just whatever I feel like writing.

I don't own Princess and the Frog. Heck, I don't even own a Naveen plushie. (Though I desperately want one. Woe is me, I was expecting one for Christmas!)

This first oneshot is post-movie, a few months after Tiana's Palace opened.

_Music_

Pluck.

Pluck.

_Pluck._

The sound echoed throughout the small apartment, bouncing off of every wall and finally coming to land in the prince's ears. Naveen screwed up his face, rolled over, and covered his head with a pillow in an attempt to muffle the noise. To his irritation, it seeped through the down feathers and began to slowly dissolve the pleasant dream he was having about a mountain of his wife's beignets. He lay still for a moment, relieved, when the sound seemed to stop.

… PLUCK.

Was it getting louder?

Defeated, Naveen removed the pillow and flipped over onto his back, positioning his forearm over his tightly shut eyes. He reached out his tan left arm and patted the bed beside him. The sheets were soft, slightly rumpled, and decidedly empty. Naveen sighed.

"Tiana?" he called out, interrupting another pluck.

"Yesssss?" came an answer from a few rooms away.

Naveen lifted his arm off of his face and opened an eye. "_Espazzianza_, _what_ are you doing?"

"Oh, uh, nothing…" Tiana's voice, muffled through the walls and the closed door of their bedroom, sounded guilty.

Effectively pulled out of his dreaming state, Naveen opened the other eye and stared at the ceiling for a moment. Relishing the warmth of the cozy bed, he sat himself up as slowly as possible. He lifted the blanket off and swung one leg off. More than a few seconds passed before the other joined it. Naveen bent over and rested his elbows on his thighs, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

PLU--

"_Tiana!_"

Naveen was fully awake now. Finally rising, not bothering to change out of his pajama pants or put on a shirt, he walked through the rooms of their flat. He ultimately found his wife artlessly seated on the white sofa in the living room. Tiana blinked her doe eyes at him innocently and smoothed her blue dress.

Naveen raised a dark eyebrow at her and began to survey the room. "Tiana, what--" His eyes stopped their inspection. "Ahhhhhh-ha-ha," he said, and a smile began to start. His eyes rested on his ukulele, placed behind a picture frame sitting on an end table adjacent to the sofa. He supposed he was looking at a rushed hiding attempt.

"Ohhhhh, Tiana…" he said, walking to the sofa, plopping himself down next to her, and extending an arm around her shoulders. Her name rolled off his tongue in that special, accented rhythm. "You are not so good at hiding things, no? I always find them."

Stretching out his other arm, Naveen grasped the instrument on the table and pulled it into his lap. He settled it across his legs and began running his fingers down the grain of the polished cedar. Tiana watched his strokes, innocent look still etched into her pretty features. Naveen's hand fell across the strings, and felt that they were still warm. His smile grew, and a blush started on his wife's face.

"So… _This_ is the cause of the dream-deferring racket."

Tiana's facial expression changed to that of feigned offense. " 'Racket'? How come when _you_ play it, it's "beautiful music"?"

Naveen squeezed his arm tighter around her shoulders. "That is because, my lovely princess, I _play_ it. I do not pluck at it." He laughed lightly and gave her a lopsided smile. His arm lifted off of her and his hand joined the other on top of the ukulele. "Anyway, what are you doing with this so early in the morning? You know I need my - how do you say?- _beauty sleep_," he said playfully.

"Oh, I know," Tiana retorted. "And I'm sorry, because by the look of you, you _really_ needed it this morning." She flashed a wry smile at him.

As Naveen opened his mouth to protest, Tiana cut him off, adding, "Besides, it's not early morning. It's nearly noon, sleeping beauty." She stuck her hand under his chin and snapped his lowered jaw shut.

Naveen jerked up off the sofa suddenly, ukulele sliding off his legs and onto the floor. "Noon? Why did you not wake me?? The restaurant--"

"Is closed." Tiana smiled again and pulled him back down next to her. "It's Sunday, though I appreciate the concern." She tapped his nose with her index finger.

"Ah," Naveen said. His eyes fell upon the discarded instrument at his feet. He leaned over and retrieved it. "I am sorry, old friend," he said, patting its surface.

His head shook slightly. Turning back to Tiana, Naveen spoke again. "You are very clever, princess," he said, waving a finger at her, "But I am not that easily distracted." He heard her mumble something to herself and giggle, but chose to ignore it. Naveen tapped a finger on the stringed instrument in his lap and it made a hollow noise. "Just what is your relationship with my ukulele?

Tiana looked down at the floor, sighed, and cuddled into his open chest. Her hand hooked over his broad shoulder.

"Last night, during the dinner rush," Naveen heard her say from under his chin, "After greeting the Williamsons at table seven, I stopped for a moment to watch you play, and…"

"And?" Naveen awkwardly twisted his head to look down at her face. His fingers were drumming on the ukulele now.

"_And_," Tiana continued, looking up into his light brown eyes, "I just thought… Well, you know how to mince and use ladles and plate dishes… You've openly embraced my passion for food, and I know next to nothing about your first love, music." She frowned and looked away as she finished.

Naveen tucked a finger under her chin and made her look at him once more. "All right. One…" he said, removing his finger and raising it in the air, "My _first_ love will always be _you_." Tiana's cheeks dimpled a bit and he kissed her forehead. "And two;" a second finger raised, "Do not forget that you, _mi amori_, are a wonderful dancer! The best in all New Orleans, yes?"

He wrapped his arms around Tiana and bounced her up and down while rocking her. She let out a peal of laughter, but said, through giggles, "Naveen! Stop it! I'm not a child!" He did, and she replied, "You're just saying that 'cause you're married to me."

Naveen gave her a look that seemed to say that she was wrong, and that it was glaringly obvious. "Yes," he said, "And you are my dance partner for life. Why would such a marvelous dancer as I choose one who does not match my expertise? I would not want my feet stepped on for the rest of eternity."

"Ahhh, I see," Tiana laughed, playfully swatting at his bare chest, "So Prince Charming only married me for my dancing skills. I feel like Cinderella."

Naveen's laughter joined hers as he rebuked, "No, I married you because you make the best gumbo in all Louisiana. Dancing makes me hungry."

Tiana slapped his chest again, and said, "Besides, dancing isn't making music, just like waiting tables isn't cooking." She brought her hand back to his shoulder.

"I believe I resent that!" Naveen said, his voice taking on mock displeasure.

"Back to what I was saying," Tiana continued, turning the conversation around, "So this morning, I started to play--"

"Pluck," Naveen corrected.

"Fine, _pluck_ _at_ your ukulele. It can't be that hard to teach myself how to play it, right?"

"Actually, princess," Naveen informed her, "It took me years to master it. And you know that I am a fast learner."

He toyed with a wild curl of Tiana's dark hair as she appeared to consider this. She removed her hand from his shoulder and wrapped it around his waist. Then she turned her face up to look at her husband, resting her chin on his chest and saying, "Well then, I suppose I'll need to get a really good teacher if I wanna learn how to play."

Naveen nodded, confident smile starting as he seemed to grasp where she was going.

"D'you know where I can find one?" Tiana questioned, face taking on a wondering air.

Naveen let out a chuckle. "I believe I resent _that_ as well!"

When Tiana's look didn't change, continuing the charade, Naveen was forced to sheepishly say, "_Me_, Tiana!" He squeezed her in his arms and she giggled. "I think I would make a suitable teacher."

"All right then, let me ask the student." Tiana looked away for a moment and gave the empty room a questioning look. She turned back to him and smiled. "Student says yes."

Laughing softly, Naveen set his ukulele to the side and pulled Tiana fully into his lap. He shifted her in his arms, facing her away from him. Naveen picked up his beloved ukulele and positioned it in Tiana's hands, guiding them with his own.

"We'll start with how to hold it…"

• • •

A/N: Admit it. That Cinderella joke was genius.

Ha, ANYWAY… Some notes:

I'm basing Maldonian off of Italian. Some people have told me they think it sounds like Portuguese, but I have been to Disney World enough times and heard enough chanting Brazilian cheerleaders to know that Maldonian does not sound like Portuguese. (I went on Tower of Terror with an elevator full of those cheerleaders one time… Oh god, I nearly went deaf.) I hear Italian and Greek in Maldonian, and that's what I'm sticking with.

If you found them to be OOC at any moment, please tell me. I found Naveen shockingly easy to write for, and that could have been because he's shockingly easy to write _wrongly_ for.

For the sake of this story, Tiana's Palace is closed on Sunday. Tiana and Naveen need a day off. Also, yeah……. It's Sunday…. And they're not in church….. It doesn't bother me, but if it does bother _you,_ pretend that Tiana went that morning with her mother. As for Naveen, for all we know, the national religion of Maldonia is Pastafarianism and they stick peanuts up their noses every Wednesday.

And with that last, awkward note… Abinaza!


	2. Blonde

Still don't own Princess and the Frog. And I still don't own a Naveen plushie.

I'm really rollin' 'em out, huh? Since I finally got around to publishing this story after sitting on it for a while, expect the first few oneshots to come very quickly. :)

This one takes place during the movie, in between When We're Human and the scene where they meet Ray. (Around the time of the forkrawr.)

_Blonde_

Tiana watched with curious, yet piercing eyes as Naveen lay lazily on his back a short distance away from her. His long, lean legs were outstretched and his frog hands formed a makeshift pillow at the back of his head. Louis's body slid gently back and forth as he silently made his way through the swampy water.

As much as Tiana had wanted the spoiled prince to shut his big mouth earlier, she now found the eerily silent bayou discomforting. The only thing heard was the slosh of the slight wake Louis was creating. A faraway bird chirped. Sighing with defeat, she instigated a conversation to break the quiet.

"So…" she began.

Tiana's sudden chime caused Naveen to glance over and raise an eyebrow. The rest of him didn't move.

"So _what_, waitress? I am not bothering you," he said.

"Oh, I know, I just--"

"Missed the sound of my voice?" Naveen interrupted. "It is all right to say so, sometimes I do too. In fact, I did not realize how much I was missing it until just now."

"Think again, Prince Charming," Tiana retorted, "But as much as I loathe you… _And_ the sound of your voice… I loathe the quiet even more."

"Yes, yes," Naveen said, quite obviously not listening. He watched a leaf fall from a nearby tree, landing in the still water and creating a cascade of ripples. "So," he continued, "What was it that you were saying?"

He was pretending to care. It would have been almost sweet of him, if he had one sweet bone in his body, which Tiana assumed he didn't.

"_So_… What is your problem with blondes?" she asked. She hadn't been able to come up with anything better to talk about.

"Hmm? Problem with what?" Naveen turned onto his side to face Tiana and propped his green head up with a bent arm. He appeared to be at least mildly interested now.

"Earlier, you mentioned something about blondes holding candles while you flirt with other girls. Why the discrimination? I thought you were a "lover of _all_ women"," Tiana said, mockingly imitating his accent on the last few words.

"I am not a _lover_ of all women," Naveen corrected. "I _adore_ all women, especially those who adore me. I am not stupid enough to fall in love. Why settle down with one woman when you can have all of them?"

Tiana gave an exasperated sigh. She would have whacked him, but she spotted the bruise on his stomach from his escapade the previous night in the hollow tree. He had suffered enough physical abuse… At least for _this_ 24 hours.

"Anyway," he continued, returning to lying on his back, "I have a good reason for not liking blondes. They are loud, obnoxious, and wear far too much pink."

Holding her fingers to her mouth, trying to keep from giggling, Tiana realized that Naveen had never met or even seen Charlotte. And yet, he had described his future bride to a T.

Laughter subsiding, she put on a serious face and asked, "Oh? What's wrong with pink?"

"It clashes with my skin tone."

This was too much. Tiana let out a cacophony of giggles. "But - you don't mind - being GREEN??" she managed to squeeze out between them.

"I find that green brings out my eyes."

And this was even _more_! Tiana's fit of giggles turned into peals of laughter. "Your _eyes?!_" she squeaked. "I -- HA!" She pointed a finger at him and guffawed.

Naveen looked seriously and quizzically at her, as though she were laughing at a funeral. Tiana gasped for breath for a few seconds, managed to get a large gulp of air, and settled down. Her chest heaved from the exertion.

"So, if - blondes are - noisy and pink-," she paused every few words to take a large breath, "What sort of girls do you like best?"

"I look the best with women who have dark hair, like mine," Naveen said. "It is nice to have a matching date or two when I go to a party."

Naveen had just compared women to socks.

Tiana's mind went to her own dark curls for a moment, then she shook the thought out of her head.

"Well anyway," she said, "You're marrying Lottie. So it doesn't matter what women you like, and you can't "have all women" anymore."

"Oh I cannot, can I?" Naveen replied. "I am sure I could manage it." He looked as though he were calculating how this could be accomplished.

Tiana felt her cheeks burning. This man -this _boy_- didn't _deserve_ to marry her best friend! Lottie was kind, sweet, and caring, and he was rude, unfaithful, and demeaning.

"You… You!" She couldn't think of a bad enough word to call him. "Philanderer!" She got up, and Naveen did as well.

"What? Who is Phil Lander?"

"It means WOMANIZER," Tiana said angrily. "And if you so much as _look_ at another woman once you're married to Lottie, I will make sure that your life is a living--"

"Hey, you guys okay back there?" Louis interrupted, turning his head back as much as he could to get a glimpse of them. "Gettin' along all right?"

"Oh yes, Louis!" Naveen called. Tiana's hands were hovering at his throat threateningly. "See? Tiana was just about to give me a hug!"

" 'Kay then!" Louis moved his head back, satisfied.

The smile plastered on Naveen's face vanished. "FINE," he said, annoyed, throwing himself back down on Louis's broad back. "I will not _look _at other women."

He looked like a petulant child. Tiana's face flushed again.

"Or do anything _else_!!" she yelled furiously.

"All right, all right," Naveen said, raising his hands in defeat. "Whatever you say. Anyway, this Charlotte, she is a brunette, no? This is what I have heard."

Tiana sat down, crossed her arms, and snorted. "Well, you heard wrong. Lottie is as blonde and pink as they come."

Naveen froze and a look of shock and disappointment spread across his features.

Tiana looked over at him and hiccupped.

• • •

A/N: See the foreshadowing? Seeeeeeeeee it? Naveen likes dark haired women, not blondes. And he says he will never fall in love. WHAT A FOOL

AHAHAHAHAHAA I am brilliant.

-moth flies out of ear-

… c:

OMG it was so fun to write Tiana and Naveen hating each other after that last sappy oneshot. I think I'm gonna end up writing a lot of froggy Tianaveen because it's so entertaining to me to have them biting each others' heads off.

(PS, no offense to any blondes. I was just going by the lyrics.)

Abinaza!

… Naveen thinks of women as socks. XD


	3. Language

Don't own Princess and the Frog.

Expect an influx of stories! I had all these ideas floating around in my head for days.

This takes place quite a few years after the movie. Think about six or seven.

(Maldonian glossary is at the bottom of the page)

_Language_

Tiana smelled something burning. Not simmering, not boiling. _Burning_. The unpleasant smell wafted into the room and poked sharply into her nostrils. It hit her so strongly and suddenly, she had pricked herself with the needle. Tiana laid the shirt she had been mending neatly on the table in front of her, then rushed off to find the source of the smoke.

Tiana didn't find an actual fire, or any more smoke, in the kitchen. What she did find was two very dirty people. They both put on the exact same dimpled, sheepish smile when they saw her appear in the doorway. Trying to wipe away the shocked expression she wore, Tiana swept her gaze over the room, observing the damage. There was flour everywhere -on the ceiling, even!-, and a pot that looked to have been filled with oil was bubbling over like a volcano on the cook top. Several burnt something-or-others that looked like giant lumps of coal were scattered haphazardly around the kitchen. One was stuck to the ceiling.

Tiana looked to where her husband sat on the floor, leaning his back against the counter. The little girl was in his lap. They were covered from head to toe in flour and both looked exhausted.

"Naveen, what - ?" she questioned. "Did she do all this?" Tiana pointed at the child, who made a pout.

"No! I didn't!" She pointed a chubby finger at the man holding her. "_He_ did!"

Tiana didn't look surprised. "Daddy did it all by himself, huh?"

"Aw by himsewf." The girl nodded.

Naveen made a pout that perfectly matched his daughter's. He turned down the corners of his lips and stuck out the bottom one, imitating her exactly. "Evie helped," he said weakly, gesturing to the small child in his lap.

"I _twied_ to help…" Evie said.

She removed herself from her father's lap and toddled over to her mother. She stretched out her short little arms at Tiana, who picked her up and nuzzled her tan little flour-dusted nose.

" 'Tried to', sweetie?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," Evie confirmed. She nodded her head up and down and her dark brown curls bounced in their ponytail. "Me an' Daddy wanted to make you beignets fow your birthday… I twied to teww Daddy he was making the oil too hot, but he was being _muto stupidaza _and didn't wisten."

"Oh he didn't, did he?" Tiana raised an eyebrow and smiled at her husband, who was trying his best to make the cute, covered-in-flour look work to his advantage.

Evie shifted in her mother's arms and continued. "So then the beignets that was in the oil got aw burned up and the pot started to bubbuwl a lot and there was lots of _fiere_ and hey flewed all over."

After recovering from the initial shock of the story, Tiana chuckled and said to Naveen, "How many times have I told you to _listen_ to her?" She tickled her daughter's belly, and Evie laughed with delight. "She knows what she's talking about. She's my daughter too, you know."

Moving Evie over to one arm, Tiana picked up some flour off of the counter and playfully flung it at her husband. "Evie is right. You _**are**__ muto stupidaza_." She tried to dust the leftover flour off of her hands, but it clung just as much as Evie was clinging to her arm. "So how did this get everywhere?"

Naveen blew some flour off of his lips, then opened his mouth to answer. "_Mi picola pruta_ started a flour fight. I had to fight back, Tiana! I could not let my own little girl beat me!"

"_Nonne!_" Evie exclaimed. "Daddy started it! Daddy started it!" She pointed a chubby, accusing finger at him.

Tiana laughed again. "Why do I get the feeling she's telling the truth, Naveen?"

Naveen raised his hands in surrender. "Eh, fine, I admit. Evangeline did not start the flour war. But I won it!" He said, dramatically rising to his feet.

"Did not!" Evie insisted. "He's a wiar, Mama!" She stuck out her tongue at her father, who in turn poked her in the ribs, causing her to giggle a few times.

Tiana held out Evie for Naveen to take. Much to her protest, he did. She squirmed and wiggled in his arms, opening and closing her little hands. Tiana turned the stove off and the bubbling pot stilled.

"She's a cook, just like me, Naveen." She looked at her baby girl and smiled. "Even though I don't want her anywhere near the stove by herself, Evie probably would have been fine making these on her own, without your 'help'." She kissed his cheek and some of his flour rubbed off on her lips. "Our little girl's got a gift."

"I could have told you _that_."

Naveen handed Evie back and wrapped his arms around his family, enveloping them in a big hug. "_Mi pruta _and _mi picola pruta_… The best cooks in New Orleans!"

Tiana chuckled "And _mi charmonte pruto_: the worst!" she said. Evie joined her in laughing.

Naveen let go. "I…" He attempted a rebuttal and raised a finger. When no words came, he lowered it. "All right, but I am the best dancer. Also most handsome, and best husband, and _padri_."

Tiana gave him a kiss on the lips. "Whatever you say."

She peered around Naveen and saw something hidden between one of the disarrayed cookbooks and the wall. Tiana put Evie down and went to investigate. She stuck a hand behind the book and pulled out a perfectly cooked, perfectly powdered beignet sitting on a little blue plate.

"What is this?" she asked, turning to Naveen.

He looked as confused as her. "I… Do not know," was all he could say.

Evie ran over and wrapped her arms around her mother's legs. "I saved one! I saved one! I made that one befow Daddy made the oil too hot. I towwwwwd him not to… Are you pwoud of me, Mama?"

Tiana reached down and rubbed her little shoulder. "_Si, mi picola pruta_."

"_Buenn bircciado_!" Evie exclaimed, waiting for her mother to take a bite.

"_Merciazza_, Evie. This will be the most _delicianza_ beignet I have ever eaten; I know it!"

• • •

A/N: Yeah, the whole "zomg they have a FAMILY" thing is SO cliché… And it's even more cliché to name their daughter Evangeline.

BUT I DON'T CARE!

Anyway, I just love love love the idea of all of them using Maldonian to speak to each other. Naveen and Evie can speak it fluently with each other, and Tiana knows enough towards to get by. She's princess of the country, so she has to know _some_ things, plus she probably picks up a lot from Naveen's random spoutings of Maldonian. By the way, I'm sorry if the Maldonian was a bit confusing… I tried to make it as obvious as possible. By the way, I know there's no way to tell when it's written, but just imagine that Tiana's accent SUCKS. xD Because it does. Evie and Naveen think it's funny and often giggle behind her back about it (even though Tiana speaking Maldonian is probably the most beautiful thing Naveen has ever heard).

Princess Evie was about four or five. She has that baby accent when she speaks in English, but she's really very smart, and is quite a bit more skilled at Maldonian then English. I'm actually REALLY sorry I had to use the w-accent thing, but there is really no other way to type baby talk. I hate it when other people use it (I think it's corny), so I'm sorry I sprung it on you here. :( Anyway Evie also obviously inherited her mother's innate cooking ability, while she gets her looks from her father. Don't let this fic fool you at first glance; she is TOTALLY Daddy's little girl. If you read between the lines, you can see that it's there. Anyway, Naveen fails at cooking (even after all these years) and Evie has to help him a lot.

Evie will probably be reappearing in later oneshots, also about the future family.

Translations, for those who need them:

_muto stupidaza_ - really stupid

_fiere_ - fire

_mi (picola) pruta_ - my (little) princess

_nonne_ - no

_mi charmonte pruto_ - my charming prince / my prince charming

_padri_ - father

_si_ - yes

_buenn bircciado_ - happy birthday

_merciazza_ - thank you

_delicianza_ - delicious


	4. Poultry

I don't even _know_ what caused this one to pop into my head. XD I just randomly thought of it.

THANK YOU GUYS for all your great reviews!! :D You have no idea how much I love reading them all. Much like Naveen, who adores women who adore him, I love people who love my work. xD I'm glad you are enjoying my stories! (Hint: more reviews usually = _more chapters_!)

My internet was out all day yesterday, and I really had nothing to do but write more stories…

I don't own Princess and the Frog. And still no Naveen plushie. :( (Feel free to send me one at any time! :D )

Post-movie, about a month after Tiana's Palace opened. This one's either a long vignette or a really short oneshot.

_Poultry_

"Your handwriting," he said bluntly, "Is terrible."

Tiana looked up from her numbers. She needed to finish these bills by the end of the week; didn't he know that? She had told him so not twenty minutes ago. Twice.

She turned her head to face him at the table behind her, where he had been working silently. "What?"

"These orders," Naveen explained. "I am going through all the food orders for next month, just as you instructed me to do." He put down the pen he had been writing with. "But I am quickly realizing that no one will know what you ordered, except for you."

Tiana sighed and pushed back her chair. Leaving her pen at the desk, she got up. She ran her hand across the table as she went around it to lean over her husband's shoulder. Tiana squinted at the paper.

"What're you talking about?" she said. "Looks fine to me."

Naveen pointed at two words scrawled on the paper. "What does this say? Corncob pipes?

" '_Cayenne peppers_'_! _" Tiana corrected.

"All right, all right." Naveen picked up the pen again and pointed out another set of scratches. "And this?"

" 'Etouffee'," said Tiana dryly.

"It says 'elephant'."

"What?!" Tiana slid the paper out from under his hand and examined it more closely. "No it doesn't!" she said.

"It does!" Naveen took the order back from Tiana and smoothed it out on the table. He used his index finger to point out each letter he saw. "E-L-E-P-H-A-N-T."

Tiana crossed her arms and glowered. "You can't read. That says 'etouffee', plain as day."

"I _can_ read _words_, but I cannot read… What do you call it? The one with the itchy bird."

"_Chickenscratch??_" Tiana asked.

"That is it!"

"My handwriting is _not_ chickenscratch, Naveen!" she exclaimed, snatching the paper back from him. She moved across the room and opened a drawer.

"It is true!" Naveen called to her. "You are very beautiful, princess, but your penmanship does not mirror you!"

After fumbling through the drawer for a few seconds, Tiana finally pulled out a clean sheet of paper. She laid the leaf down on the table in front of Naveen, along with the food order, and handed him his pen.

"Fine then, let's see _yours_, mister. Write your name," she commanded. She crossed her arms again and indicated the blank sheet.

Naveen took the pen from her and began to move it across the paper. About thirty seconds later, he indicated that he was done. Tiana leaned in to look at his work.

Drawn in perfectly spaced, evenly looped, curly letters was:

_Prince Naveen IV_

_Crown Sovereign of Maldonia_

There was a large flourish at the bottom.

Tiana saw what he had written and lightly smacked the back of Naveen's head. "Show off," she said darkly, though he knew she was amused.

"What?" he said innocently, rubbing the spot she had hit. "It is my name." He smiled at her.

Tiana continued to glare at him. Uncrossing her arms, she said, "And just how is it that _your_ handwriting is perfect?"

"What would the Maldonian people think if every royal decree and proclamation looked as though it had been written by a chicken?" Naveen laughed a little.

Frown unchanging, Tiana said, "Well they're gonna have to get used to it, because their new princess isn't changing her handwriting."

"Ah yes." Naveen reached over, grabbed her hand, and shook it. "My _picola poultee pruta_."

Tiana jerked her hand away. "You did _not_ just call me your little chicken princess."

In retaliation, Naveen grasped onto _both_ her hands and shook them. "I believe I did."

Tiana's amusement shone through. She couldn't pretend to be angry anymore. A smile started and a giggle or two escaped her lips. Naveen laughed too, knowing all along she hadn't truly been mad at him.

Chuckling, Tiana said, "_De fragee pruto _and _de picola poultee pruta_. What a pair!"

Naveen let go of one of her hands and pulled on the other one, drawing her towards him. Then he dropped it and slid the food order back in front of him. He jutted a finger out at a word, directing Tiana's attention to it.

"What does this say? Unbearably wonderful and unbelievably handsome husband?"

Tiana tilted her head down to get a better look at the word he was pointing at. Then she laughed.

"That says 'salt'."

• • •

A/N: Y'know how Tiana is amazing at everything she does and Naveen sort of sucks at life except for dancing and schmoozing women? Well, this is like, the one thing that Naveen can do better. XD Tiana is all about getting work done, no matter how bumpy the road there is. The faster she can get something accomplished, the better. So I think it's natural that her handwriting would be hideous. As long as something gets written, it doesn't matter if it's ugly, it's done, and she can move on to the next thing. Naveen, meanwhile, loves to stop and smell the roses, so he would take more time making his letters look pretty, even though it's less efficient.

Tiana is a chicken princess… XD

Abinaza!


	5. Blame

Happy New Year everyone!

My internet was out AGAIN… So more writing time!

This one came to me randomly as well, though it's a LOT more cliché than 'Poultry', which I am proud of for being original. XD Also, this was supposed to go _after_ another one I was working on, but due to some research issues, this one was finished first. I dunno when the other one will be posted. Eventually, I guess.

Also, there's a mentioning of something in this that made me up the rating from K to K+… It's not outwardly explicit or anything, but stuff is verbally _alluded to_. Don't worry, it's not anything worse than what you'd hear in a DreamWorks movie. xD

Notes to reviewers:

I'm glad you guys like my sense of humor. I consider myself to be a funny person, but I don't know if anybody else thinks so. XD (Sadly, there's only one joke in this oneshot, and it's pretty lame. Sorry; it's a serious one!)

I _am_ planning a oneshot (possibly a twoshot) where they go to Maldonia (probably more than one; they'll obviously go there a lot and I want to send Evie there). But I want to get a good story idea and I really want to get my vision of Maldonia down before I write it, so I don't know when that'll be coming.

Thank you all for saying how in-character Tianaveen are! xD It's hard for me to tell sometimes if they are or not; I write whatever I feel like, and I'm afraid that sometimes 'what I feel like' won't be what Tiana and Naveen would 'feel like'. xD . It's great to hear that you all think they're acting like themselves! :D Seriously, I just write lines down as I think of them. Naveen is especially easy for me to write for, which is odd, since I'm neither married, male, Maldonian-accented, or a ladies' man. XD

I really didn't mean any offense to blondes with chapter 2. xD I had to think up SOME reason as to why Naveen would choose to not have them on his arms.

This is post-movie by, let's say, two years. Honestly, it could be anywhere from a month up to ten years if you wanted it to be. But I wrote it as two years.

MEGA CLICHÉ ALERT! (Oh, and sorry about the super long A/N.)

_Blame_

The longest day ever. Naveen was quite sure it had been the longest day ever. He didn't know how Tiana did it day after day. Rushing from table to table greeting people, supervising the cooks, handling bills, making sure nothing caught on fire… It was harder than running a country; he knew from firsthand experience. Although the last job was easy, since he was usually the cause of things catching on fire. As he walked up the stairs to their apartment, all he wanted to do was kick his shoes off, kiss his wife, and crawl into bed.

All right, maybe _not_ kiss his wife…

Tiana had been at home all day, sick with… Well, Naveen would be darned if he knew. It could be contagious, and he did not want it. Tiana was supposed to have called the doctor and had him make a house call, so he supposed he _would_ know what ailed her within a few minutes. Turning the key in the lock, he opened the door to a dark living room. Not unusual; Tiana had probably been bedridden all day.

She had woken up that morning with horrible stomach pains and nausea, and Naveen had refused to let her out of the bedroom, saying he would take care of everything at the restaurant by himself. Boy had _that_ been a mistake. No! He shook the thought out of his head. It didn't matter how much his feet hurt, Tiana had probably been in much worse pain.

Naveen kicked off his shoes, just like he wanted to. Now he just had to find his wife and go to sleep. He walked to the bedroom. The lights were off… Tiana never went to sleep this early. He had expected to find her sitting in their bed reading a book. He flicked the light switch. There was the bed… But no wife.

"Tiana?" he called.

No answer.

It wouldn't be unlikely if Charlotte had taken over as head nurse and whisked Tiana away to her mansion in the Garden District to take care of her. It had happened before. Twice, actually.

Naveen changed into his flannel pajama bottoms. No wife to kiss, but he could still crawl into bed. And so, he turned the lights off, and he did. Once he lay down, his feet immediately felt a little better.

He lay there for a few minutes, breathing deeply, head facedown in his pillow.

Then he heard it. Small and soft, louder than a whisper, but still quiet.

"Naveen?"

He didn't move. His feet ached.

"Naveen, are you awake?" came Tiana's voice again.

"Mmmmffhh," Naveen said.

The lights came on. Tiana had taken it as a yes. Naveen's face remained buried. He felt the bed shake as Tiana climbed onto it, then felt her hand on his back.

"I fell asleep on the sofa hours ago," she explained. "That's why all the lights were off… Oh, and I'm feeling quite a bit better now."

"Mmfhhffmmm?" came Naveen's muffled voice.

Tiana giggled. "What?"

"MMFHFFMMM?" he said, louder.

More giggles. "Get your face out of that pillow! I can't understand you!" She slapped his bare back.

"OW!"

Tiana had understood that one, even through the pillow. She immediately removed her hand. "Oh, sorry!" she said, panicking. "I didn't mean to… You okay? Your back hurt?"

Naveen shifted his head so his face was sideways on the pillow, facing her. "Running a restaurant by yourself is backbreaking work… Literally. I am afraid I am a bit sore. But it is all right. You did not hurt me… _Much_." He reached an arm up and poked Tiana in the ribs, getting a chuckle out of her as she swatted his hand away.

"My princess," he continued, "You run the restaurant every day without tiring… You would make a very good queen of Maldonia, if that day ever should come. You are much better at keeping things in order than that prince they have lined up for the throne."

Tiana rubbed the spot on his back where she had hit him. "You mean the lazy one?"

Naveen was almost too tired to make a comeback. "No. The goodlooking one with the hurting -though cute- feet, who would like very much to go to sleep right now…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tiana said, rubbing the injured area on his back a little harder. "I'll let you sleep in a minute." She paused. "Oh! What was it you said a few minutes ago? All I heard was 'mhmdfhm'," she mumbled, imitating him. "It's hard enough to understand you with that accent," she teased.

Naveen turned his head so that it was facing away from her. He didn't answer for a long time, and all Tiana heard was deep breathing. She was about to poke him when he finally spoke up.

"My accent," he said, "is _charming_. And I was asking you" -he paused to yawn- "what the doctor said. He was here, no?"

Tiana was laughing again. "Yeah, he was. He gave me a check up."

Naveen felt her lie down next to him. "_It's your fault_," she whispered into his ear, leaning over him.

Moments of silence… "… Hmmm? Why is that?"

He heard more laughter. "Actually, both things are your fault."

"Both?" Naveen said, speech slurred with sleep. "Did I somehow give you the flu _and _a stomach virus?"

Tiana laid down fully and draped an arm across his back, her hand curling around his side.

"Well the first thing the doctor told me was that I had food poisoning." She waited for a reaction. Naveen coughed. "Do you remember that soup you made for lunch yesterday?"

"Vaguely," Naveen muttered in a low voice.

"Well, I've been remembering it _all day_. _Your fault_." Tiana squeezed the hand around his side.

"Mmmmm? So what else did I do? Did the chicken I made yesterday give you the chicken pox?"

Tiana laughed and patted his back. Then she reached her hand up and began to comb her fingers through her hair.

"All right, _first off_, that _ain't_ how you get chicken pox." She laughed again. "And second… Do you remember our anniversary a few weeks ago?"

"… Vaguely."

"Do you remember that _night_?"

"Yes. You did the cooking. Whatever the other thing is, it is not my fault." Naveen rolled over onto his side, facing away from her.

Tiana moved over a little and fitted herself to him, curling an arm around his stomach. "But it _is_ your fault," she said into his hair. "Do you remember what happened that _night_?"

Naveen shifted in her arms. "_Ohhhhhhh_. Yes. I do. A little more than vaguely," he said into his pillow.

"Well, I'm going to be remembering it for the next eight months or so, and a lifetime after that."

Naveen stopped shifting. "… Why is that, _mi pruta_?" he said, sleep eminent in his voice.

"Because," Tiana said, " '_Mi pruta_' is going to become '_mis prutas_'."

Naveen shot up, sitting bolt upright in bed.

"W… What?" A smile started on his face.

He turned to look at Tiana. She sat up as well, shrugged, and smiled at him. "Or you, '_mi pruto'_, will soon be one of '_mis prutos'_."

Tiana put her arms around Naveen's neck. "And it's _all your fault_," she whispered into his ear.

"Well then _you_ are at fault for _my_ ailment," he said.

"What ailment is that?"

"I am now _wide awake_."

• • •

A/N: The ultimate of all clichés! She's havin' his BABY!

Poor Naveen. He just wants to sleep and Tiana keeps bugging him and saying she's PREGNANT. What a selfish woman.

Naveen only wears pants to bed. I am shameless. xD

Tiana is becoming harder to write for. Naveen remains easy, but it's like, once Tiana falls in love with Naveen in the movie, she kind of loses most of her spunk and drive… I have to try harder to keep her from becoming a Mary-Sue.

I don't think Naveen will ever be a good cook. Seriously, I really do imagine him accidentally giving Tiana food poisoning. XD

Naveen thinks his feet are cute. XD (Wouldn't it be a hoot if his feet were HIDEOUS? I think it would be great if Naveen had like, hobbit feet.)

By the way, a WARNING: there's a sad one coming up soon. It's not the next one, but it's on its way.

Abinaza!


	6. Rhythm

Hello again!

Thank you all SO much for your continuing assurance that my Tianaveen are in character. As I write more of these, it gets harder and harder to tell if I'm taking the characterizations for granted or not.

I ALWAYS forget to say… I don't own Princess and the Frog! If I did, I would be Bob Iger, and I would be very, very rich. (By the way, I'm getting that Naveen plushie today!!! :D If the Disney Store's not sold out…………. D: )

Another non-cliche oneshot! :D I'm so proud of myself!

Post-movie by a few months, in Tiana's Palace. This one's pretty Naveen-centric, but it's really _about _Tiana. It's also really short, but I like it a lot. :)

_Rhythm_

Naveen tapped out the beat on his thigh. 1, 2, 3-4-and, 1, 2, 3-4-and… He leaned his chin into his palm, resting his elbow on the table. The chords of the piano mingled with the notes of Louis's trumpet and wafted throughout Tiana's Palace. Naveen made a disappointed noise as he watched his best alligator friend move to and fro across the stage, blowing a brassy tune out over the audience. Dozens of men had grabbed their dates and had begun twirling them around the dance floor. It was a mess of swishing skirts and waving fingers.

Tiana's Palace was never very full on Thursdays, so Naveen had sat himself down at one of the empty tables in the corner. Nearly everyone in the restaurant was on the dance floor, so none of his waiting expertise was needed at the moment. He swept his gaze across the room, and it fell upon his wife up on the second level, standing next to the railing, and looking resplendent in royal purple. Her earrings flashed merrily down at him as she laughed at something one of the diners had said to her. Naveen narrowed his eyes and leaned back in the chair, slouching. He began tapping along with the song's beat again, with his right hand now, instead of his left. 1, 2, 3-4-and,--

"OUCH," he whispered violently, immediately ceasing and cradling his hand, putting pressure on the bandaged fingers.

Naveen scowled. This was terrible. It had happened a few days ago, when he was mincing some carrots for Tiana. He remembered she had been wearing a particularly alluring red dress that night, and he was paying more attention to watching her taste some soup than he had to the knife in his hands. Chop, chop, chop, SLICE. He had cursed in Maldonian, and Tiana jerked around suddenly, hearing his agony.

She had fixed up his slivered fingers, as he whimpered. He asked her to kiss them better, and she had said no, mentioning something about getting lipstick in an open wound.

Tiana had forbidden him from playing his ukulele, saying the strumming would cause the healing cuts to open. Naveen fixed a burning, jealous glare on Louis happily trumpeting, but the gator didn't notice. Naveen had just begun to rap his uninjured knuckles on the table in time to the music when he noticed it.

Tiana was coming down the stairs. Each descending step she took was in a perfect rhythm. The song's melody began to sweep, and she reached the bottom of the staircase, swinging herself around the base of the banister. Naveen watched intently as she went to greet another table of guests. The drums began to coax the music into picking up its pace, and it did, she did as well, adding bounce into her stride. Her earrings jangled and winked at him again.

His scowl had quickly disappeared. Tiana had natural rhythm; she _became_ the music, and she probably didn't even realize it. Watching her was like watching the music become tangible; physical. No wonder she had picked up dancing so quickly. He watched her hips sway to the beat. Had she always been this way? How could he not have noticed?

Suddenly he didn't care that he couldn't play his ukulele.

He didn't need to create music; he was _married_ to music itself.

Tiana's graceful dance around the restaurant continued on. Naveen could see now that she moved this way because she was truly in her element. This was all natural to her; flitting from table to table, going to the kitchen to check on the chefs, retrieving menus, filling drinks… This was _her_ music. She was dancing to the music in her soul.

Naveen stopped listening to the music the band was playing. He focused on Tiana. Concentrated on her every movement, every gesture.

She smiled.

And suddenly, he heard it.

• • •

A/N: Y'know how during Down in New Orleans, Tiana is going around Duke's, serving up pancakes and twirling about in time to the music, even though she's in the movie and can't hear it?

That.

(Also, for any of you familiar with Tiana's Showboat Jubilee at Disneyland and Disney World (R.I.P January 3rd :'( ), I'm totally reminded of that one line Naveen says: "That's the kind of music that _fills my soul_!" )

Abinaza!

("Bye bye y'all! Come see us again real soon!"

"And if you see a handsome frog... Be sure to kiss it!"

"I'll see you later!"

Showboat Jubileeeeeee. :'( )


	7. Forgotten

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I UPDATED. I didn't plan to not update… I actually have a couple of stories written up, but I just never got around to putting them up… So much stuff has happened since my last oneshot… Here's 2010 summed up: I got a job at Disney World (in Fantasyland, go figure) and Tangled turned out to be a great movie.

Notes:

I'm glad you guys like my sense of humor. I consider myself to be a funny person, but I don't know if anybody else thinks so. XD (Sadly, there's only one joke in this oneshot, and it's pretty lame. Sorry; it's a serious one!)

Thank you all for saying how in-character Tianaveen are! xD It's hard for me to tell sometimes if they are or not; I write whatever I feel like, and I'm afraid that sometimes 'what I feel like' won't be what Tiana and Naveen would 'feel like'. xD . It's great to hear that you all think they're acting like themselves! :D Seriously, I just write lines down as I think of them. Naveen is especially easy for me to write for, which is odd, since I'm neither married, male, Maldonian-accented, or a ladies' man. XD

This next oneshot's a little sad. If you tear up, I did it right. If you don't, I need to try harder. XD I just felt that I needed to have a sad/sentimental story in here to contrast with all the sappy sap sap goodness (now with extra sap!) and humor in my other ones. Humor is fun to write and to read (lolratatouille), but I think it's the bittersweet stories that leave the biggest effect on us. Even though there's PLENTY o' sap and cheese in this one too… This oneshot's also nice and long, since the last few have been a bit short. There won't be any A/N after this chapter because I want to preserve the poignancy.

This is a few months post-movie. Tiana's Palace has been completed.

_Forgotten_

She hadn't been expecting him to say it. Naveen seemed to have been perfectly content just sitting there, holding her. Ray and Evangeline shone down on the pair, beaming down at them from the night sky. She thought stargazing was the only thing Naveen had brought her up on the roof of the Palace for. They sat on the paved rooftop, leaning against the wall and staring up into the night in complete silence for a long while. Naveen had draped his arm around Tiana's shoulders. She naturally leaned into him. And then, he said it. She remained silent.

"Please Tiana, I want to know," he continued when she gave no answer.

Tiana looked at him. Even though it was a hot summer night, she felt herself shiver. Then she looked away. She could feel the lump beginning in her throat.

Naveen felt her trembling and pulled his arm tighter around her. "I want to know," he said again. "Please tell me about your father," he repeated. "Something;_ anything_. I should know about the man who is responsible for who you are today, and yet, I do not even know what his name was."

Tiana blinked the tears back; second nature after so many years. "James," she said, too quietly for him to hear.

"What?" Naveen asked softly.

Tiana looked at him again. "His name was James. And he was a good, good man."

Naveen rubbed his hand up and down her upper arm, comforting her. His eyes left her face and he stared at the ground. This was going to be difficult for her. "Tiana…" he said. "He must have been. If he was anything like you, I am sure he was a very great person. He was a cook as well, yes?"

Tiana nodded a little. "Yes. Taught me everything I know."

"Ah, so it is he who I have to thank for my mincing skills!" Naveen smiled at her.

She smiled back, a small smile highlighted by glistening eyes. Tiana nodded again.

"You loved him very much. Tell me," Naveen said, his gaze returning to the night sky, "What was his favorite dish to prepare?"

It was then that the first tear fell. Tiana had been trying to fight it, but his question brought back painful memories. Naveen saw the drop roll down her face, reached over, and took her hand in his. Yes. This was going to be difficult for her.

They sat, still and silent for a few moments, until Tiana finally spoke up.

"It was calas," she said.

"Calas?"

"Mm-hmm, fried rice cakes." Tiana nodded. "We used to make them together every Saturday morning. "Some of my earliest memories are of him getting me out of bed early so we could start cooking the rice before Mama woke up."

"But… You have never made calas. I have never even heard you mention them before. Why not? They are a traditional New Orleans dish, no?"

"They are, but… But…" More tears. Tiana couldn't continue. Her heart was hurting too much. It had been eight years since she had even thought about calas.

Naveen let go of her hand and moved his own to cup the side of her face, tilting it towards his. He looked straight into her eyes. "You do not have to continue if you do not wish to."

Tiana took a shaky breath. "No. You should know, and I shouldn't keep it bottled up inside me…"

A few more silent moments passed. Naveen reached down and grabbed Tiana's hand again. She shivered once more, and looked up at the two evening stars, still glimmering brightly at her. "The last time I made calas was eight years ago."

Naveen squeezed Tiana's hand within his own. He knew that this was the year her father had passed away.

"I was eleven," she continued. "Daddy had been drafted into the war about six months before, but me and Mama would still wake up early on Saturday mornings and make calas. It helped us to remember him while he was away. It was to tide us over 'til he got back."

Her voice cracked on the last word. Tiana paused and looked over at her husband. Naveen was listening intently, a serious look on his face. She knew he saved that look only for the gravest of matters.

Tiana brought their intertwined hands to her shaking lips. "The last Saturday I made them… I was getting the cinnamon and nutmeg out of the cupboard... And there was a knock at the door. Mama was busy starting to mix the dough, so I went to answer it.

Naveen was unsure of what she was going to say next. Her tremors continued. He pulled her closer to him.

Tiana went on. "There was a man there… A man holding a small box. He asked if this was my daddy's house, and I told him yes. Then he asked if mama was home, and when I said yes again, he asked me to get her. So I called out to her." The tears were flowing freely now. Tiana had never told this story to anyone, not even Charlotte. "When Mama saw the man, her eyes went wide and she sent me away to my room.

She stopped again and looked as though she were about to choke. When Naveen tried to help her, she said, "No, no. I'm fine… Let me finish."

Tiana continued, saying, "About ten minutes passed, and I heard the door shut. And then I heard something I had never heard before; Mama was crying. I peeked out of my bedroom and saw her sit down at the kitchen table and put her head in her hands. I went to her and put my hand on her shoulder." Naveen's own hand on Tiana's shoulder twitched. " 'Babycakes,' she said, 'Your daddy loved you very much.' She looked up at me and I saw the tears in her eyes. Then I felt tears starting in my own, when I realized that she had said '_loved_'.

"She told me that Daddy wasn't coming home. He had died fighting, somewhere in France. The box held an American flag and all the medals he had earned."

Naveen couldn't move. He had no idea how to comfort her. He still had both his parents, and often took them for granted. He didn't know how he would handle that kind of loss if it had happened to him.

"And the calas dough…" Tiana finished, "It was still sitting there on the counter, half mixed. Mama and I couldn't bear to finish making them, and neither of us have made them since." She held back a sob.

"Tiana, I…" Naveen shook his head. "I do not think you should never make calas again. I did not know your father, no, but I think he would have wanted you to continue making them." He took the hand that was in his own and kissed the back of it. "In his memory. He would not want you to forget. Did you not say you had wonderful memories of making calas with your father? I think you should make them again, for the sake of those happy memories."

Tiana looked at the ground. "I don't know," she said. "I mean, I know you're right, but… I just don't think I can, even though I know I should. You're right; Daddy _would_ have wanted me to." She leaned into Naveen a little more. "But I just don't think I could bear it."

"But all those mornings… With your father… Surely you do not want them to fade away?"

Tiana stilled. He was right, and she knew it… She just wasn't strong enough. She hadn't been strong enough for the last eight years.

"No, she said. I don't…"

The past week had been hot, but this morning was unseasonably cold. They had to go in the early morning, because the restaurant served breakfast on Saturdays. Tiana pulled her coat closer and hooked her arm through Naveen's as they walked. A fog had rolled in overnight, giving the headstones and grave markers a slightly eerie feel. They were silent, and the only thing that could be heard was the crunch of the wet gravel as they traversed the path.

"This way," Tiana said, pointing off to the left with the hand that held the bouquet of white carnations.

Naveen gripped the basket he held tighter. They came to a small grave in a corner, next to a willow tree.

_James_

_Beloved Husband and Father_

_1871 - 1918_

Tiana set the bouquet down in front of the grave. Her mother must have been there recently; it looked like it had been cleaned, and there was a set of wilting daisies next to her carnations.

"Daddy…" she whispered, putting her hand on her husband's chest and smiling sadly, "This is Naveen."

Naveen bowed his head at the grave and muttered something in Maldonian. At Tiana's questioning look, he said, "A prayer."

Tiana turned back to the stone. "It's okay, Daddy, he's… Not from around here. He's my husband, a prince from far, far away. You always knew I was gonna be a chef, but I bet you didn't expect me to be a princess too, huh, Daddy?" Tiana gave a small smile and pushed Naveen a little, urging him to say something.

"Sir," he began, taking a step forward, "I love your daughter very much. And I know that she loved _you_ very much. And I thank you for helping her to become the woman I love today."

Tiana leaned up and kissed his cheek. "He would have been awful fond of you," she whispered into his ear.

"I brought you these…" Naveen reached into the basket he held and pulled out another bouquet; red tulips. He kneeled and placed them next to Tiana's flowers, whispering to the grave, "She told me you liked them." He glanced back at his wife.

The wind blew harder, sending a chill through both of them. Tiana put her arm through Naveen's again. She gazed at the stone for a few moments more, then she began to tug away lightly, signaling that it was time to go. Naveen nodded in understanding, and they turned to leave.

"Goodbye, Daddy!" Tiana called. "See you soon," she said, and blew a kiss.

They had taken about twenty steps when Naveen suddenly said, "Wait!"

He let go of Tiana's arm and jogged back to her father's grave. She saw him kneel down and take something out of the basket. His mouth moved and he appeared to be saying something. What his exact words were, she couldn't make out. Then he got up and walked back to her, taking her hand and lacing their fingers together.

Tiana glanced back. "What did you-?" she began, and then she saw it.

Placed neatly next to her carnations and his tulips was a plate of calas. They were oddly shaped, and the powdered sugar on top was lumpy and uneven, but the sight of them pleasantly sitting there made Tiana's eyes begin to mist.

"How did you-? When…?"

Naveen smiled. "I got the recipe from your mother. I do not think they are exactly as you and your father used to make them, but it is the thought that counts, no?"

Tiana tilted her head upward and pressed her lips to his own. "Thank you," she whispered into his mouth.

Wiping a tear from her eye before it fell, Tiana asked, "What did you say to him?"

Naveen began to walk, and pulled her along with him. For a few seconds, only the crunching gravel beneath their feet was heard.

"I told him… That you would not forget."


End file.
